Illuminating device for inspection of contents of bottles



ILLUMfNATING DEVICE FOR INSPECTION OF CONTENTS OF BOTTLES Filed June so,1949 y 13, 1952 P K WEHMILLER ETAL 2,596,452

INVENTORS PAUL K .WEHMILLER WILLIAM J. NEKOLA BYWAL QMQ ATTORNEYPatented May 13, 1952 ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR INSPECTION OF CONTENTS OFBOTTLES Paul K. Wehmiller, Kirkwood, and William J.

Nekola, Normandy, Mo., assignors to Barry- Wehmiller Machinery Company,St. Louis, Mo.,

a corporation of Missouri Application June 30, 1949, Serial No. 102,348

This invention relates to devices for inspection of contents of bottlesand the like, and more particularly to an illuminated device whichexposes foreign particles or impure conditions in 1 Claim. (CI. 88-14)said belt being supported on horizontal angle bars 4. However, theconveyor may be of any suitable type adapted to carry bottles or thelike at any desired speed from a source of supply the contacts oftraveling bottles, jars and othe 5 and through the inspection zone. Forexample, transparent or translucent containers. an ordinary endless beltconveyor may be em- Prior to our invention, a commonly used in ployed.spection apparatus has included a lamp located We have shown uprightbottles B seated on the at the rear of traveling bottles, directlyopposite traveling conveyor belt 3. In actual practice, for the eyes ofthe inspector, which results in a high speed production, the bottles canbe very highly objectionable glare affecting the eyes and close togetheras very little time is required for reducing the efficiency of theinspection. Under accurate inspection. such conditions, an inspector isrequired to take 5 designates a horizontally elongated backratherfrequent rests to relieve eye strains which ground located at one sideof, but substantially not only impair his faculty for prolongedinspecseparated from the conveyor 3. To avoid a glartion, but may alsotend to generally affect his ing reflection of light and also aid theinspectors vision. vision, this background may have a dull surface. Anobject of the present invention is to more by which is meant a surfacewithout gloss or clearly expose foreign particles and other objecsheen.In practice it is a dull wheat color, or tionable conditions in thecontainers, thereby a pastel tan or green. A horizontally elongatedincreasing the accuracy of the inspection, while greatly reducing theeye strain. Another object is to provide for a relatively longinspection time, permitting prolonged examinations of bottles whereinthe contents may appear doubtful.

In the preferred form of the invention, a lamp device is beamed toproduce a very clear lighted effect throughout the contacts of travelingbottles, which appear as the brightest objects in the visual field ofthe inspector. never casts its rays of light directly into the eyes ofthe operator, and there is no distracting nearby glare to tire andconfuse the operators vision. Under these conditions, traveling bottlescan be accurately inspected in a very short period of .i;

time to meet the present high production speeds, while avoiding theusual excessive eye strains.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprisesthe novel combination and arrangement of specific details shown in theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate a desirable form of theinvention. However, it is to be understood that the scope of theinvention extends to variations and modifications covered by terms ofthe claims hereunto appended.

Fig. l is a front view of an inspection device embodying features ofthis invention, including a diagrammatical illustration of a travelingconveyor.

Fig. 2 is a side view, with the conveyor shown The lamp device .1

elevated hood 6 is located above the space between the conveyor 3 andbackground 5 to receive a suitable illuminating device, said hood beingopen at the bottom to direct rays of light downwardly toward thetraveling conveyor.

The illuminating device herein shown comprises a series of inclinedelectric lamps 1 arranged within the elongated elevated hood, the centerlines of said lamps being inclined in a direction toward the conveyor 3,as suggested at 8 in Fig. 2, so as to direct inclined beams of light tothe bottles on the conveyor.

The elevated hood shown in the drawings has a rear wall member 9extending upwardly from the background 5, a top wall member ID extendingforwardly from said rear wall member, and an inclined front baffle wallII extending downwardly from the top wall member. The background 5 andthe wall members 9, l0 and H can be conveniently formed by a singlesheet of material bent to the shape shown in Fig. 2, and suitablyconnected to vertically elongated end walls 82. The front baffle memberll terminates in a line substantially above the conveyor 3 to concealthe lamps from the inspector and provide an open space for the travelingbottles. The conveyor 3 is lower than the inclined lamps 1, where itwill not intercept the light projected directly from the elevated lampsto the bottles. In this unique device, the advantage of extremesimplicity coupled with very high efiiciency is gained by deliberatelyavoiding the use of any device which would alter the eifect of theillumination in the clear, unobstructed space in front of the backgroundwall 5.

' throughout the contents of the bottles.

To illustrate a simple adjustable support for the elevated hood and itslamps, we have shown an elongated horizontal bar I3 having upturned endsI4 connected to the end Walls I2, a post l5 extending downwardly fromsaid bar l3, and a base I6 telescoped with the lower end'portionof saidpost to provide for upward and downward adjustments of the background,hood and lamps with relation to the horizontal conveyor 3. The tubularupper portion of the base I6 is split and provided with ears I! toreceive a clamping bolt is whereby the background, hood and lamps. aresecured in positions to which they are adjusted. However, it is to beunderstood that other suite able adjustable elements may be employed forconvenience in accurately locating the inspectiondevice during itsinitial installation, and also in making selective adjustments for clearand easy inspection of the contents of bottles, jars, and the like,having various difierent dimensions.

In Fig. 2, an eye of the inspector is suggested at. [9, with an inclinedline 2.9 leading therefrom to the bottom of the baflle wall H whichconceals the elevated lamps from the visual field. The inclined beams oflight are directed away from the background, 5 and projected downwardlyonto 7 rear. portions of the traveling bottles, thereby effectivelyilluminating the contents of the: bot: tles. In this arrangement, thetop. faces of shoulders of the bottles are directly exposed todownwardly projected rays of light, and this specific condition enhancesthe lighting effect Foreign particles and impure conditions are veryclearly exposed, so the usual inspections can be easily made with, ahigh degree of accuracy, and in very brief periods of time. However, adoubtful bottle can be subjected to prolonged inspection while itprogresses through. the elongated inspection zone, while the conveyortravels at a relatively high speed to provide for the usual rapidinspections.

In actual commercial practice, the new device has been successfullyemployed on a large scale to inspect beer (an amber fluid) in amberbottles, with the result of actually obtaining the aforesaid outstandingadvantages.

We claim: 7

An illuminating device for use at the rear side of a conveyor-whereontransparent containers are presented for inspection, said devicecomprising a vertically directed wall having a relatively light colored.dull surface extending above the level of the conveyor and spaced fromthe conveyor to provide a clear space in front of said wall surface, ahood positioned across the upper portion of said wall directly abovesaid clear space, said hood havinga front inclined wall portion locatedwith its lower free edge spaced above the rear side of the conveyor andclear of the top of the containers presented for inspection, andilluminating means located within said hood behind said inclined wallportion above the lower free margin thereof, said hood and inclined wallportion cooperating to direct the light without ob- .REFERENCES CITEDThe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,051,946 Hewlett Aug. 25, 19362il74.8f4& Stahm'er Oct. 3,-1939 2,3 3,350. Ellison Jan. 30, 1945

